how do you think mandela impacted president obama's life? >> he said it in his tribute today. that this was the first political activism that president obama as a young man got involved with. the protest against apartheid in south africa. and yes, in 2005 at the four seasons hotel in washington, d.c., then senator obama, did get to meet mandela. he was very lucky. he was a freshman senator. he never met him as president although michelle and the girls did. this must have had the tremendous impact, the first black president of the united states, the first black president of south africa. it is really very, very important. and talking about him reaching across to allies. the black people were behind him and they rallied with great pain and sacrifice but so did so many whites in south africa. i remember being on campus during the apartheid days. and my friend john kennedy who took up the mantle of rob kennedy and his father in the cause of civil rights brought helen suesman. very famous campaign here befriended mandela when he was in prison. and she came and delivered an electrif